THE TRIAL of the Mayor of Killarney Patrick O'Donoghue on allegations of breaching ethics legislation will involve a lot of witnesses and legal issues and will not take place this year, the Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee heard yesterday.
Mr O'Donoghue (41), a Fianna Fáil town councillor and managing director of the Gleneagle Hotel Group, was sent forward for trial from the District Court last May on two charges under the Local Government Act 2001 and the Ethics Acts 1995 and 2001.
The charges arise from a rezoning motion in Killarney Town Council in early 2006.
Mr O'Donoghue is charged that on dates unknown, between January 1st, 2006, and March 6th, 2006, at the Gleneagle Hotel, he influenced, or sought to influence, the council decision in respect of a motion to rezone land at the Gleneagle Hotel, and that he failed to withdraw from a council meeting on March 6th, 2006, when the motion was considered.
His barrister Henry Downing told Judge Carroll Moran the case would "probably take a week" as there were a lot of witnesses and some legal issues to be addressed.